Ceramics

Ceramics

General Philosophy

The Ceramics program emphasizes the realization of individual goals. We encourage the exploration of ideas and materials to foster an atmosphere of diversity. We are committed to developing individuals who challenge contemporary standards while producing work of exceptional craftsmanship. It is our intent to prepare artists for competition in the complex, professional ceramic art world.

Faculty

The faculty, like the program, offer a great deal of diversity. Through our own artmaking careers and experiences within the field, we have gathered a large pool of information from which students can draw. The area chair of Ceramics is Associate Professor Tom Bartel. Prospective graduate students or others seeking information about the Ceramics program can contact him via email at bartelt@ohio.edu

Tom Bartel

Associate Professor of Ceramics with an MFA from Indiana University and a BFA from Kent State University. He is currently serving as the Ceramics Chair. He has exhibited nationally and internationally participating in over 300 exhibitions, and has work included in many public and International collections.

Alex Hibbitt

Currently Graduate Chair of the School of Art + Design. Originally from London, England, she has a BA(HONS) from Camberwell College of Arts, London, a Higher Diploma in ceramics from Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Art and Design, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and an MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Alex makes objects and installations that investigate the mediation of experience through technology, the intersection of art, design and craft and the implications of labor in the handmade and the manufactured. As well as exhibiting widely in Europe and the US, she has taken part in a number of symposia and residencies, and most recently is the co-founder of Workshop – a writing group focused on contemporary discourse in ceramics.

Chuck McWeeny

Professor with an MFA from the University of Oklahoma and a BA from Cleveland State University. He has taught at Ohio University since 1983 and also served as the Dean of the College of Fine Arts from 2006 until spring of 2012. He will return as professor of Ceramics in Fall of 2013. He has exhibited nationally and internationally in over sixty group shows and twelve one-person exhibitions at locations including NCECA 1997- Las Vegas and the Kunst Museum in Magdeburg, Germany.

Brad Schwieger

Professor with an MFA from Utah State University and a BFA from the University of Iowa. He has participated in over 300 exhibitions, and is affiliated with several galleries across the country. He has work in international public collections, served as Artist in Residence at the Archie Bray and Watershed, and has been published in American Craft and Ceramics Monthly, among others.

Brian Dieterle

Currently the Ceramic Department Technician as well as an Instructor of Art in the Ceramics and the Foundation Programs here at Ohio University. He received his education and training from Louisiana State University (MFA - 2008) and from Northern Michigan University (BFA - 2002). Before working on his Masters of Fine Art degree, Brian was employed at Pewabic Pottery, a historic tile and vessel production facility in Detroit, Michigan. While there, he managed the kiln rooms, fired all of the work produced at the historic pottery, assembled commercial and privately commissioned projects for clients, and worked in the production department as a vessel maker. Brian continues to contribute to the ongoing development of the ceramic craft by working as an artist, instructor, and technical resource. He designs, builds, and repairs kilns for both universities and private studios. He is an advocate for researching the chemistry and reactions happening within the ceramic kilns as a means to better understand materials, processes, and their applications. Brian has also helped to redesign multiple studios to promote safety and efficiency within working environments.

Facilities
Seigfred Hall, the art building at Ohio University, dedicates its entire first floor to the three dimensional arts of ceramics and sculpture. The ceramic studio occupies over 7500 square feet.